Māori at Waipapa Taumata Rau - University of Auckland

12/05/2026

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā! 📜 New role available under PVCM, screenshot & tap the QR code to see more info.

07/05/2026

College-educated, they graduated 🎓 A lil spotlight on five of our Māori, Pacific and Indigenous graduates in this week’s ceremonies. Mahi tika ana!

07/05/2026

Māori engineering graduate follows path of two sisters

Tiaho Wihongi-Minhinnick (22) celebrated her graduation on 4 May, joining sisters Ngarui Manukau (28) and Phoenix Manukau (25), who also have engineering degrees from the University of Auckland.

While completing her Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, Tiaho was chosen to lead a project on mana-enhancing structural design of pou whakairo – traditional carved Māori posts – for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. After Tiaho was selected for the task, she asked Ngarui for a hand.

The sisters, of Ngāpuhi and Waikato descent, are developing solutions that look seamless and feature traditional materials – while still having the strength to hold up a 1.2 tonne pole for decades to come.

“These are not just posts, they have stories, histories and mana in and of themselves,” says Tiaho.

Although gaining their degrees has involved conquering myriad challenges, the sisters say they have no regrets. Having just graduated, Tiaho is off to a flying start, with a permanent role in a structural engineering consultancy.

Read more here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/05/06/tiaho-minhinnick-ngarui-manukau-phoenix-manukau-engineering-graduation-pou.html

07/05/2026

Kua kī ngā ngākau 💙 Incredibly proud of all our Māori & Pacific graduates who have walked the stage so far!

06/05/2026

Helping people find their voice in court

PhD graduate Ryan dos Santos Meechan (Whakatōhea) works in a highly specialised area of speech-language therapy, supporting people going through the justice system who may have learning, language or communication difficulties, including those with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, known as FASD.

In practice, that work can mean breaking down complex legal conversations and checking whether a person has genuinely understood what has been said to them.

“A lawyer will talk to the person and at the very end they’ll say, ‘Is that all good?’ and then the person will say, ‘yep’, because either it is all good, or they’ve learned that by saying yes, it is easier,” Ryan says.

“People with FASD often have real strengths, but they may also process and understand what’s happening around them differently – because of how their brain works.

Ryan’s work sits within a much wider call for more Māori in speech-language therapy, and for culturally grounded, Māori-led approaches to care and research.

Ryan’s doctoral journey was also shaped by whānau. He completed his doctorate part-time while caring for his father, Eddie Meechan.

“The reason I went part-time with my PhD is because my dad got diagnosed with a super rare form of Parkinson’s,” Ryan says.

“I was his carer part-time during my PhD and he passed away during my PhD.”

“Completing this journey is really for my Dad,” he says.

Ryan also acknowledges his mother Jo, his husband Lucas who embraces his passion for linguistics, and the supervisors and Māori speech-language therapists who supported him throughout the journey.

“I wouldn’t have got here without them.”

Read more here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/05/05/ryan-dossantos-meechan-phd.html

Photo credit: Simon Young

05/05/2026

Kua ea! 🎓 Sneak peek of some of our faculties of Engineering and Design & Science graduates from this week’s graduation ceremonies so far.

Many more to come so stay tuned e te whānau, and congratulations to all those who are walking across that stage this week 💙

04/05/2026

Check out this upcoming kaupapa in ReoSpace, Level 1 of GenLib, open to all! Nau mai haere mai 💙

23/04/2026

He kaupapa whakahirahira! If this resonates with you, reach out to Jordyn 💙

19/04/2026

Take 10 Fridays | Featuring Associate Professor Makarena Dudley

For this week’s , we’re spotlighting Associate Professor Makarena Dudley from the School of Psychology, whose research focuses on developing culturally responsive approaches to managing mate wareware (dementia) in Māori communities.

1️⃣ Research in 10 words:
Developing a cultural framework for managing dementia in Māori.

2️⃣ In everyday terms:
My research focuses on mate wareware (dementia) and Māori. Current approaches to managing dementia are largely based on Western perspectives and often do not meet the needs of Māori whānau.

3️⃣ Day-to-day work:
I currently lead a Health Research Council–funded prevalence study on mate wareware. This involves coordinating field-based research assistants who engage directly with participants in communities.

4️⃣ Favourite part:
I value the close connections I have with Māori communities, particularly kaumātua. Collaborating with passionate researchers is also incredibly rewarding. Most importantly, it is fulfilling to know our work is already making a positive difference for Māori whānau living with mate wareware.

5️⃣ Surprising insight:
The compassion, care, and acceptance shown by many Māori toward those living with mate wareware reinforces the strength of whānau support systems.

6️⃣ Handling challenges:
One challenge has been encouraging greater Māori participation in research and recruiting Māori researchers in this field. To address this, we’ve focused on building strong partnerships with Māori communities and co-developing culturally appropriate environments for research and clinical engagement.

7️⃣ New questions:
A key question we are exploring is how Māori participation can be meaningfully included in research on preventing mate wareware. Our approach has been to co-create prevention clinics with communities that align with tikanga Māori.

8️⃣ Impact goal:
I strongly believe in translational research—research that leads to tangible benefits. Our team has developed the Māori Assessment of Neuropsychological Abilities (MANA), a mate wareware app, and I am currently writing an accessible guide for kaumātua to support understanding and management of dementia.

9️⃣ Collaboration:
As Deputy Director Māori for the Centre for Brain Research, I contribute to the Māori Strategic Plan aimed at improving brain health outcomes for Māori.

🔟 Advice to younger self:
Research doesn’t always go smoothly. Challenges and setbacks are part of the journey, but they often provide valuable lessons that help refine methods, strengthen relationships, and grow as a researcher.

Read more: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/our-research/take-10-with/take-10-with-psychology/take-10-with-makarena-dudley.html

Follow our page for more researcher stories in Take 10 Fridays.

19/04/2026